Pallets are used to store and transport goods thereon by supporting them above fork-tine receiving openings above the floor. Plastic pallets often including an upper deck supported by columns and runners interconnecting bottom ends of the columns.
Pallets that are used to transport foods should have all surfaces accessible to be washed. All surfaces should also be capable of being swabbed to test for contamination.
In order to meet some stiffness and load capacity requirements, reinforcements (often steel) may be secured to an underside of the deck and/or the runners. This can complicate the requirement to make all surfaces of the pallet assembly washable and capable of being swabbed.
Another potentially competing design requirement is fire performance. Fire resistant additives can impair the performance of the plastic components. Fire resistant coatings can make recycling the plastic components more difficult.